Mint Explainer: Why is Elon Musk’s Starlink at war with Indian telecom giants? (opens the source in a new tab)
- On Wednesday Musk posted that unnamed Indian ‘oligarchs’ were blocking Starlink’s launch to keep a ‘monopolistic chokehold’; on Thursday the government called any suggestion of bias ‘baseless and misconceived’, citing security assessments under way.
- Starlink won its licence in June 2025, after OneWeb and Jio Satellite in 2022; more than four years after the first licence, commercial launches for all players remain stalled over security and data-sovereignty concerns.
- Jio wanted satellite spectrum auctioned; in September 2026 the telecom department chose administrative allocation with a 5% charge on adjusted gross revenue, still awaiting cabinet approval. Ironically, Airtel and Jio have both signed pacts with SpaceX to offer Starlink.
- 165+
- countries licensed, per Musk
- 5%
- spectrum charge on AGR
- 4+ yrs
- since India’s first licence
Why it matters Satellite internet can reach places towers and fibre don’t; who gets to sell it, and on what terms, shapes India’s connectivity.
Other side Is this protectionism, or a fair wait for security checks on foreign-run satellites carrying Indian data? Musk named no one, and his rivals are also his Indian partners.
Source:Mint (free to read) ↗